Rise of coronavirus infections in Europe, with the Omicron variant that worries even in Italy. Cases are increasing day by day, which now amount to 212 in the EU / European Economic Area (EU / See) alone. 336 infections from Omicron also confirmed last night in the United Kingdom, the day when the daily bulletin recorded 51,459 new ones covid cases and 41 deaths. Meanwhile, the French health minister is sounding the alarm: Omicron, he says, is “much more contagious” than the Delta variant. Alarm also from South Africa, where the variant was isolated for the first time and infections are now “record breaking”.
OMICRON, THE CASES IN THE EU AND ITALY
There are 212 Omicron variant infections in the European Union / European Economic Area (EU / See). Compared to Sunday, another 30 cases confirmed so far in the area. All positives for which information is available have mild or no symptoms. In total, the positives to the Omicron variant are reported by 18 countries, including Italy which is stuck at 9. This is what emerges from the latest update of the ECDC, European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, on the new variant .
“Several EU countries / European Economic Area – Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Spain – have also detected cases of” Omicron variant “without an epidemiological link with areas in which a community transmission is documented or presumed to be” of the new mutant. . “This indicates that there may be an undetected community broadcast in these countries” by Omicron. Finland, another element that emerges and goes in this direction, “has reported cases with anamnesis that reported trips within the EU / See (Sweden)”.
In any case, the majority of infections related to contacts that have made trips to those areas that first reported Omicron remains in the majority. “On the basis of publicly available and limited sources – the ECDC experts report – most of the confirmed cases have an epidemiological link with people who have a history of travel to African countries, or with some of those who have taken connecting flights in other countries. locations between Africa and Europe “.
Cases of Omicron have been detected in: Austria (11), Belgium (9), Czech Republic (1), Denmark (32), Finland (7), France (25), Germany (15), Greece (1), Iceland (12), Ireland (1), Italy (9), the Netherlands (18), Norway (19), Portugal (34), Romania (2), Spain (7), Sweden (7) and Latvia (2), the latter new entry among the countries that have intercepted the variant.
All while, recalls the ECDC, “investigations are currently underway on numerous probable cases in various countries”. All cases for which information is available are asymptomatic or mild. So far, no deaths have been reported, confirms the ECDC while specifying that “these data should be evaluated with caution as the number of confirmed cases is too low to understand if the clinical spectrum of Omicron’s disease differs from that of the previously detected variants” .
Outside the EU / See, 693 cases of Omicron have been reported from 29 countries: Argentina, Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, Ghana, India, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, USA, United Kingdom, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Overall, there were 905 confirmed cases globally, reported by 47 countries.
FRANCE
Hospital admissions for Covid in France on Monday rose to 12,096 compared to 11,526 on Sunday. There are 2,191 patients in resuscitation, of which 307 admitted in 24 hours. The incidence is 430.6 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants, according to data from Santé France reported by the media. The pace is one hospitalized per minute in the country, said Health Minister Olivier Veran, stating that “the Omicron variant is much more contagious than the Delta”. Explaining that in France the circulation of the coronavirus is now higher than that of the peak recorded during the third wave, that ” the virus circulates too much ”, Veran spoke of over 12 thousand Covid patients hospitalized at a rate of one patient per minute. It is necessary ” to slow down, slow down, slow down ” the spread of the coronavirus and the Omicron variant ” which could cause a wave within the wave ”.
Speaking again about Omicron, the French Health Minister said that ” it seems that this variant is more contagious, even more contagious than the Delta variant, which is itself more contagious than the previous ones. For the moment, nothing tells us that it is more dangerous, which would be good news. As for the impact on vaccination, for the moment nothing justifies a change in the vaccination strategy ”.
GREAT BRITAIN
“In the UK the number of confirmed” Omicron variant positive “cases is 336. Some may be asymptomatic, others will have ailments. None of them so far, as far as I know, have been hospitalized,” the Minister of Health said yesterday. , Sajid Javid, at the end of a day in which the overall covid bulletin in the UK records another 51,459 infections and 41 deaths.
“We learn something every day about this new variant – adds the minister -. Recent analyzes conducted by the Health Security Agency suggest that the period between infection and contagiousness could be shorter for the Omicron variant than for the Delta, but we have not yet the full picture: we don’t know if Omicron causes more severe symptoms and a more severe disease or how it interacts with vaccines. We can’t say for sure at this point whether Omicron has the potential to divert us from the road to recovery. “
SOUTH AFRICA
And there is a surge in covid infections also in South Africa, with the Omicron variant increasingly widespread. President Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday raised the alarm with an official note. “We are seeing an unprecedented number of infections since the start of the pandemic. The Omicron variant appears to be dominant in new infections in most provinces. In the past week, the number of daily infections has increased fivefold. Almost a quarter of all. covid tests are now positive. Compare this to what happened 2 weeks ago, when the proportionally positive test was about 2%, “Ramaphosa said.
“Scientists in our country and around the world are working tirelessly to answer crucial questions about the new variant: how contagious it is, if it causes a more serious disease, how effective are vaccines. The increase in infections is a cause for great concern. but we should remember that it was planned, “he said in a lengthy statement.
“The models indicated that we would have to face a fourth wave in this period and that the emergence of new variants of the virus would be almost inevitable”, explained the president, highlighting “the urgent priority” to continue with the vaccination campaign for ” prevent the spread of infections “and” reduce severe cases, hospitalizations and deaths “. The president stressed the importance of taking measures such as spacing and wearing a mask.
“We don’t know what impact the Omicron variant will have on hospitalizations, meanwhile hospitals are preparing to welcome more patients. In the coming days and weeks we will know more about the Omicron variant. At the same time, we monitor infections and hospitalizations.”
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